Top tips for negotiations from Sir Richard Branson November 8, 2019 Israel is famous for its savvy negotiators. So to launch the new Virgin Atlantic route from London to Tel Aviv, I went head-to-head with its residents to put my skills to the test — and I had to bring my A-game. It was no easy feat. The people of Tel Aviv know how to drive [...]
DEBATE: Should the London Stock Exchange cut its hours to improve work-life balance for traders? November 8, 2019 Should the London Stock Exchange cut its hours to improve work-life balance for traders? Galina Dimitrova, director of investment and capital markets at the Investment Association, says YES. Trading hours in the UK are 8am to 4:30pm GMT — some of the longest in the world. That doesn’t sound like a long day, but traders [...]
Revealed: The 50 fastest growing tech companies in the UK November 8, 2019 Firms based in London dominate a new ranking of the 50 fastest growing tech companies in the UK. Fintech bank Revolut took poll position as the technology firm with the quickest revenue expansion in the index, compiled by audit firm Deloitte. Read more: Gocardless and Transferwise join forces for global recurring payments service Revolut racked [...]
Woodford protege Mark Barnett hit by Morningstar downgrades on two funds November 7, 2019 Two Invesco funds run by a protege of disgraced stockpicker Neil Woodford have been hit by Morningstar downgrades over their exposure to smaller and illiquid companies. The financial research firm downgraded Invesco’s High Income and Income funds – which are both managed by Mark Bartnett – to a “neutral” rating. Read more: Cautious investors drag [...]
Cautious investors drag equity funds to record quarterly outflows November 7, 2019 Cautious savers snubbed equities in September amid ongoing global uncertainty, driving the funds to their highest quarterly outflows on record. Equity funds saw £1.7bn of outflows in September, the fourth consecutive month of outflows. This takes equities’ total net retail outflows for the third quarter to a record £4.6bn, according to figures from the Investment [...]
Changing the childcare system is the answer to closing the gender pension gap November 7, 2019 The average monthly cost of childcare in the UK is more than the cost of the average mortgage, which serves as a stark reminder of the financial burden facing many families. Childcare costs can be so enormous that it often makes financial sense for one parent to take a career break or work part-time to [...]
Can business models like Wework’s really work? November 7, 2019 Flexible businesses can, by their very nature, roll with the punches and evolve as their customers do. But the recent pace of change at WeWork has shown that even the most flexible of businesses can be at risk. Those of us in the property industry cannot fail to have noticed how WeWork has become central [...]
Peer-to-peer lender Zopa makes banking debut as pressure mounts November 7, 2019 Zopa, one of the UK’s three largest names in peer-to-peer lending, is to launch its first foray into banking after receiving partial authorisation last year. The debut comes as the peer-to-peer sector is facing scrutiny from regulators and falling demand from investors, placing pressure on the likes of Zopa and its rivals. The firm said [...]
Founder Masayoshi Son calls Softbank’s staggering loss ‘a mess’ November 6, 2019 Softbank founder Masayoshi Son has called the Japanese company’s disappointing results “a mess” and admitted a “problem” with his judgement, after the tech investment giant swung to an operating loss for the first time in 14 years. The group reported a $6.4bn quarterly loss this morning, driven by soured bets on tech prospects including Wework [...]
Investment managers lobby politicians for strong EU ties post-Brexit November 6, 2019 UK fund managers have called on the next government to protect cross-border investment arrangements and secure close alignment with EU rules post-Brexit. Entering the fray of general election campaigning, the Investment Association (IA) also warned against a no-deal Brexit, calling it “the worst possible outcome for UK investment managers”. Read more: Investors urge FTSE 350 [...]
